Window regulator



May 15, 1956 J. A. M DOUGALL 2,745,662

, WINDOW REGULATOR Filed June 2, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JAMCDOUGALLINVENTOR.

May 15, 1956 J. A. MCDOUGALL 2,745,662

WINDOW REGULATOR Filed June 2, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. W

BY $9M, (Q Jf @bzud ATTORNEYS J. A. MCDOUGALL- U d tattt .Paefi Q WINDOWREGULATOR John A. McDougall, Garden City, Mich, assignor to Ford Motor(Jompany, Dearborn, Mich, a corporation or Delaware Application June 2,1953, Serial No. 359,022

Claims. (Cl. 268-104) This invention relates generally to windowregulators for motor vehicle windows, and has particular reference to awindow regulator adapted to bodily move a window both vertically andlongitudinally in a predetermined path.

Motor vehicle windows are usually mounted for vertical sliding movementin vertical guideways, or for pivotal swinging movement about a fixedtransverse axis. In certain installations, however, clearance problemsin connection with various components of the vehicle body may make itimpractical to lower the window into the body with either a verticalsliding or a pivotal movement. The window regulator of the presentinvention is particularly designed to operate a vehicle window undersuch conditions.

The foregoing objective is attained by employing a window regulatorhaving a pivotally mounted actuated member which in turn slidablysupports an arm connected to the window. The efi'fective length of theregulator arm is thus variable and is employed in connection with avehicle window which must move longitudinally as well as vertically toavoid certain obstructions and to lower the window into the spaceavailable.

The invention also contemplates controlling the position of theregulator arm with respect to the pivotally mounted actuated member sothat the eifective length of the regulator arm is varied in apredetermined manner as the pivotally mounted actuated member isoperated to raise or lower the window. In one form of the invention thisis accomplished by providing a cam of predetermined contour upon thevehicle body for engagement with a cam follower carried by the regulatorarm to control the sliding movement of the regulator arm relative to theactuated member and to move the point of connection between theregulator arm and the window both longitudinally and vertically in apredetermined nonlinear and nonradial path determined by the contour ofthe cam. Another point on the vehicle window may be guided in apreselected path in cooperation with the regulator mechanism so as toefiect bodily movement of the window between its closed and openpositions.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be made moreapparent as this description proceeds, particularly when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View, partly broken away and in section,of a portion of a motor vehicle body incorporating the window regulatormechansim of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but illustrating the windowregulator mechanism and window in a partially lowered position.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figures 1 and 2 but illustrating thewindow regulator mechanism and window in another position, still furtherlowered.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figures 1, 2 and 3 but illustrating thewindow regulator mechanism and the window in a completely loweredposition.

2,745,662 P t nted Ma 5: 1956 Figure 5 is an enlarged cross sectionalview taken on the plane indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross sectional View taken on the planeindicated by the line 66 of Figure l.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Figure 1, thereference character 11 indicates generally a motor vehicle body having aroof panel 12 and a side panel 13. A rear window 14 is fixedly mountedin the roof panel 12, and a quarter window 16 having a metal frame 17 ismounted for bodily movement between the raised or closed position shownin Figure l and the lowered or open position shown in Figure 4. In theopen position the quarter window is completely housed within the windowwell provided in the vehicle body adjacent the side panel 13.

In the present instance the space available to house the quarter windowin its lowered position is rather limited, due to the location of thebody pillar 18 rearwardly of the forward edge of the quarter window andthe location of the rear wheel house 19 partially forwardly of therearward extremity of the quarter window. As a result of these bodycomponents the quarter window 16 cannot be moved between its closed andopen positions either by a direct vertical movement or by a pivotalmovement, but instead must be bodily moved in a predetermined irregularpath having both longitudinal and vertical movements so as to avoid thebody pillar 18 and the wheel house 19.

A circular actuated member 21 is pivotally mounted upon the side panel13 of the vehicle body for pivotal movement about a transversehorizontal axis 22. The member 21 is provided on its periphery with gearteeth 22 extending partially around its circumference and arranged to beengaged by a driving pinion 23 which in turn is actuated by an operatinghandle 24 to rotate the member 21.

An elongated regulator arm 26 is mounted upon and carried by thecircular actuated member 21. The regular arm 26 is made hollow forlightness and is guided by radial sliding movement upon the member 21'by means of tour guide rollers 27 engageable with the opposite sideedges of the arm. It will be noted that the guide rollers 27 arearranged symmetrically with respect to'thc axis 22of the member 21 so asto provide for sliding movement of the regulator arm 26 in a directionradially of the member 21.

The lower end of the regulator arm 26 supports a roller or cam follower28 engageable with a contoured cam guideway 29 mounted upon the bodyside panel; The cam guideway 29 is so contoured as to vary the positionof the regulator arm 26 upon the circular actuated member 21 in apredetermined manner by requiring sliding movement of the regulator armupon the circular member as the latter is rotated by the operatinghandle 24. The cam guideway is asymmetrically arranged with respect tothe axis 22 of the circular actuated member 21.

The opposite or upper end of the regulator arm 26 is pivotally connectedat 31 to a bracket 32 depending from the lower portion of the windowframe 17. The frame bracket 32 is also-provided with an arcuate slot 33receiving a pin 34 carried by a'projection 36 of the regulator arm 26.With reference to Figure 6, it will be seen that the slot 33 is V-shapedin cross section and that the pin 34 has a conical enlargement 35engaging one side of the slot. A spring urged washer 37 frictionallyengages the other side of the slot to laterally stabilize and supportthe quarter window 16 as it is being lowered and raised.

A guideway 41 of predetermined contour is mounted upon the body sidepanel 13 above the wheelhouse 19, and receives a roller or cam follower42 mounted upon the lower rearward extremity of the quarter window frame17. The guideway 41 and roller 42 provide for movement of the rearwardextremity of the window in a predetermined path as the window isoperated by means of the regulator mechanism.

Reference is now made to Figure 2 which illustrates the position of theregulator mechanism and the window after the latter has been partiallylowered to an intermediate position. Rotation of the handle 24 andpinion 23 rotates the circular actuating member 21 and since the camfollower 28 at the lower end of the regulator arm 26 engages the camguideway 29 the regulator arm 26 slides relative to the actuated member21 as the latter is rotated The rollers 27 permit this sliding movementof regulator arm, and it will be seen that the effective length of theregulator arm from the pivotal axis 22 to the pivotal connection 31 isshortened. Consequently the pivotal connection 31 between the regulatorarm and the window frame moves, not in a circumferential path withrespect to the axis 22 but in an irregular path determined by thecontour of the cam guideway 29. During this initial operation of theregulator arm 26 the roller 42 at the rearward extremity of the quarterwindow is guided by the guideway 41 to a position adjacent the juncturebetween the two straight portions of the guideway, and the forwardcorner 44 of the quarter window frame is moved along a path 46 to aposition clearing the upper extremity of the body pillar 18.

Subsequent operation of the handle 24 to further lower the windowrotates the circular actuated member 21 and the regulator arm carriedthereby in a clockwise direction, and Figure 3 illustrates a secondintermediate position of the regulator mechanism and the window attainedwhen the cam follower 28 at the lower end of the regulator arm reachesan intermediate point of the cam guideway 29. At this time, theeffective length of the regulator arm 26 between the pivotal axes 22 and31 is reduced to its minimum value.

Further lowering of the window by the regulator mechanism results inmoving the mechanism and the window to the fully lowered or openposition as shown in Figure 4, in which the efiective length of theregulator arm has again been varied. The particular contour of theguideways 29 and 41 are predetermined so as to provide for bodilymovement of the quarter window in such manner as to clear theobstructions created by the body pillar 18 and the wheelhouse 19 and tolower the window completely below the belt line 45 of the body into theavailable space. It will be apparent that by varying the contour andlocation of the cam guideway 29 the effective length of the regulatorarm can be varied as required to meet the particular requirements of theinstallation at hand, and the window can be moved in a predeterminedirregular path having both vertical and longitudinal components. i Itwill be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exactconstruction shown and described, but that various changes andmodifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a window control mechanism for bodily moving a window in a vehiclebody, an actuated member pivotally mounted on said body, an arm carriedby said actuated member and operatively connected to the lower portionof said window, said arm being bodily slidably zyrszgeez 4 mounted onsaid member to vary the effective length of said arm, and cam means onsaid body cooperating with said arm to vary the position of said armrelative to said member as the latter is rotated.

2. The structure defined by claim 1 which is further characterized inthat said cam means comprises a guideway mounted upon said vehicle bodyand engaged by a cam follower carried by said arm to effect bodilysliding movement of said arm radially of said pivotally mounted actuatedmember as the latter is rotated.

3. in a window control mechanism for bodily moving a window in a vehiclebody, an actuated member pivotally mounted on said body, means forrotating said member, a regulator arm slidably mounted upon saidactuated member for sliding movement radially of said member, saidregulator arm projecting beyond opposite sides of said actuated memberand having one end thereof con-' nected to the lower portion of saidwindow, and guide means connected to the other end of said regulator armto constrain the latter to move in a predetermined noncircumferentialpath relative to the pivotal axis of said actuating member to effectsliding movement of said regulator arm relative to said actuating memberas the latter is rotated to vary the effective length of the regulatorarm from the pivotal axis of said actuated member to the point ofconnection between the end of said regulator arm and the window.

4. In a window control mechanism for bodily moving a window in a vehiclebody, a roller carried by said window adjacent the rearward end thereof,a guideway mounted upon said vehicle body for receiving said roller toguide the rearward portion of said window in a predetermined path bothlongitudinally and vertically, a pivotally mounted actuated member, aregulator arm slidably mounted upon said actuated member for slidingmovement with respect thereto, means pivotally connecting one part ofsaid regulator arm to an intermediate portion of said window, a secondguideway mounted upon said vehicle body, a roller carried by anotherpart of said regulator arm engageable with said second guideway toeffect sliding movement of said regulator arm as the latter is rotated,said second guideway being shaped so as to initially decrease theefiective length of said regulator arm as the window is lowered and tosubsequently increasethe effective length thereof as the windowapproaches its fully opened position to initially move said windowbodily rearwardly and thereafter to bodily lower said window into thevehicle body.

5. Window regulator mechanism for a motor vehicle window comprising aregulator arm mounted for pivotal movement about a transverse axis andfor lengthwise sliding movement relative to said axis, means connectingone portion of said regulator arm to said window, and cam meansengageable with another portion of said regulator arm constrainingmovement of said second portion in a predetermined path to vary theeffective length of said regulator arm during rotative movement of saidregulator arm about said transverse axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

